If the company name on the receipt was different than the company you called tells me that they contracted out the work. A lot of the companies base the pay on what they can get. The booking company takes 10-20% and the tech get the rest. In my apprentice days I’ve worked for places like that.
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- Thread starter Josephine
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NC replaced my collapsed 110 year old clay drains, dug up my basement and front lawn took 4 days: $27k.
Couldn't have said it better than @Mr.Gr33k said @Josephine.
It is just a few 100 bucks.
Lesson learned.
Dont worry about what you could have done etc.,
We have all been in such situations.
Let it go.
It is just a few 100 bucks.
Lesson learned.
Dont worry about what you could have done etc.,
We have all been in such situations.
Let it go.
You got scammed. (1) Notify your bank that you use to make payment. Change passwords etc. (2) Report this to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. (3) Also, to the nearest police station if you can.
Plumbers are charged out at $100/hour easy. 4 hour minimum. Truck costs plus snake. Plus Saturday premium. It is what it is.
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There are towing companies that operate like this as well. Their rates also tend to be on the ripoff end of the spectrum. What these referral companies tend to be very good at is search engine optimization, and taking advantage of people in a bind. If it's a plumber, towing company, electrician, duct cleaner, handyman, kitchen or bathroom reno company, or even escort
try to find a good, well established, local provider or company, not just the first thing that pops up on search (fake reviews and all), or that flyer in the mail (if you're old).@Josephine, that's a terrible experience. You certainly weren't given a friendly, "quick fix", rate, and were ripped off for the service provided. Having a guy refuse to leave without money is outright intimidating (and, I'd imagine quite scary for many women). At that point I would seriously consider dialing 911, and using words like single woman, man refusing to leave without money, and feeling threatened. That may get TPS to move. Offer to pay what you think is a fair price, and invite them to take you to small claims court. Though I get why calling the cops, or "big drama", may not be your go to move...
Without putting any blame on you, for any sort of work on a home or vehicle always demand a reproducible quote up front (if not a written estimate at least a text or email), and always insist that you need to authorize any additional work. Most companies will do this without asking (as they don't want drama or to go to court), if not, insist.
It sucks that you were ripped off and intimidated. The best thing to do is just to move on. A service was provided and money was exchanged. At that point getting any redress is hard.
One thing you might want to do is keep a can of compressed air drain clog remover. "One Second Plumber", is a big brand there. Plug any secondary drains or overflow drains (a rag and pressure will do fine), and give the clogged drain / toilet a short blast of air. It's generally safe and effective, but if you're plumbing is coming apart that might finish it off. If you want to "double tap" the problem drain you can hit it with some drain cleaner afterwards. Many people find that less intimidating than trying to use a snake.
I'm sorry for your experience.
Having had to call a plumber after hours/ on weekends I know it can be really expensive. I believe it’s about 3x the regular rate. They should have told you about the on call premium tho, and given you the choice of living with the issue until regular weekday hours. On plumber I had to deal with was particularly good. I had a leak, he said “how about I just turn off the water to the leaking water line. It might take me a few hours to sort this out and fix it, you don’t need this for now, wait till Monday and we will do it at regular rates”.
Ever try a couple rounds of baking soda and white vinegar? Let it foam up and rinse with the hot tap. Works pretty well.
Shouldn't have let them inside your place when they showed up and/or prior to evening doing the job they should have told ya how much. Live and learn and just move on over a few hundred. Had they left without fixing anything you'd still end up owing like $200-300 for their time/travel during the holidays otherwise I think the going rate is like $120 or so just to see the issue and inform ya.
They came during the holidays and if it's a company they have overhead and stuff to deal with. I've used a local plumber before at a reasonable price along with a company that's over an hour away and they got the job done when what I tried for a few days didn't work. At least you know for next time to call other folks too than the first Google search. They should have told ya how much just to show up and see the issue then quoted you how much to fix it. It sucks a job under 30 mins costs that much, but companies have expenses they deal with too.
It sucks, but like I said shrug it off and move on.
They came during the holidays and if it's a company they have overhead and stuff to deal with. I've used a local plumber before at a reasonable price along with a company that's over an hour away and they got the job done when what I tried for a few days didn't work. At least you know for next time to call other folks too than the first Google search. They should have told ya how much just to show up and see the issue then quoted you how much to fix it. It sucks a job under 30 mins costs that much, but companies have expenses they deal with too.
It sucks, but like I said shrug it off and move on.
You can also join local Facebook groups and posted about your situation and have had a few people letting you know which companies to go with and mention you were fine waiting till after the holidays to have it fixed. A lot of folks on those groups are locals who are generally nice besides the odd few dickheads who you can just ignore.
I learned to do many home repairs by myself, and not only is it empowering and satisfying, but I’ve saved tons of money. Essentially, you can do almost all repairs by yourself, it’s not hard at all. YouTube is the greatest tool available.
Next time you have a clogged sink, try using a plunger. Or even covering the drain with the palm of your hand, running the water, and moving your palm up and down to create suction. Products such as Drano also work pretty well.
Next time you have a clogged sink, try using a plunger. Or even covering the drain with the palm of your hand, running the water, and moving your palm up and down to create suction. Products such as Drano also work pretty well.
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My drains here were getting clogged after years and Drano wouldn't work. I didn't care to try baking soda and such so I called the company I used before and it was pretty much using a snake in the drains and that fixed it. I could have gone to Home Depot and did that myself then return the snake...lol. But I paid for it and learned and the company I use the odd time are down in Barrie when I have other choices where I am for probably a bit cheaper but these guys show up and get it done. Most times and when I have the time I've watched good YT vids and fixed many stuff around the house on my own. Opened the washer and dryer once or twice then put it back together. It's really not that hard and it's rewarding too once it's fixed.
I've plunged lots of sinks and toilets in my life, but I do like, "One Second Plumber" (a can of compressed air) to quickly unblock drains. Usually a quick blast will work for a sink or toilet.
You can double tap it with drain cleaner sometime after that if you really want the drain clear. The One Second Plumber will move a blockage and gooey stuff, the drain cleaner will then eat the caked on stuff.
If you do use something like One Second Plumber (compressed air) make sure you block any secondary drains or overflow drains, or you'll have a mess. A rag and some pressure from your hand will do.
Not to be sexist, but I've bought more than one can of One Second Plumber for girlfriends with dodgey apartments when I was younger. I've found it more manageable for people who aren't down with using a plunger or snake, or when you need a fast fix, or when drain cleaner isn't cutting it.
The few odd times my kids clogged the toilet and the plunger wasn't doing much I did the pouring Dawn and warm water trick. Sometimes it takes a few tries and even going back at it with the plunger but it's worked. Also like I said watch good YT vids cause there are garbage stuff out there. And take time reading the YT comments cause some will also provide good info or let ya know if it really worked or not.
Also, when I have hired someone I generally watch what they do and ask a few questions here or there so next time I can do it myself. I paid someone once to replace a kitchen faucet that I could have done myself and it was a few hundred but at that time I didn't wanna deal with it myself. Live and learn and just move on.
Also, when I have hired someone I generally watch what they do and ask a few questions here or there so next time I can do it myself. I paid someone once to replace a kitchen faucet that I could have done myself and it was a few hundred but at that time I didn't wanna deal with it myself. Live and learn and just move on.
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This sucks and I’m sorry. It is a live and learn situation.
If you can, search for reviews. Always get estimates before hand and inquiry about all extra fees.
You’ll never go through this again now that you have once. If that is any consolation.
If you can, search for reviews. Always get estimates before hand and inquiry about all extra fees.
You’ll never go through this again now that you have once. If that is any consolation.
You are absolutely right. Learning experience! I should have kept asking until I got an answer =(There are towing companies that operate like this as well. Their rates also tend to be on the ripoff end of the spectrum. What these referral companies tend to be very good at is search engine optimization, and taking advantage of people in a bind. If it's a plumber, towing company, electrician, duct cleaner, handyman, kitchen or bathroom reno company, or even escort
@Josephine, that's a terrible experience. You certainly weren't given a friendly, "quick fix", rate, and were ripped off for the service provided. Having a guy refuse to leave without money is outright intimidating (and, I'd imagine quite scary for many women). At that point I would seriously consider dialing 911, and using words like single woman, man refusing to leave without money, and feeling threatened. That may get TPS to move. Offer to pay what you think is a fair price, and invite them to take you to small claims court. Though I get why calling the cops, or "big drama", may not be your go to move...
Without putting any blame on you, for any sort of work on a home or vehicle always demand a reproducible quote up front (if not a written estimate at least a text or email), and always insist that you need to authorize any additional work. Most companies will do this without asking (as they don't want drama or to go to court), if not, insist.
It sucks that you were ripped off and intimidated. The best thing to do is just to move on. A service was provided and money was exchanged. At that point getting any redress is hard.
One thing you might want to do is keep a can of compressed air drain clog remover. "One Second Plumber", is a big brand there. Plug any secondary drains or overflow drains (a rag and pressure will do fine), and give the clogged drain / toilet a short blast of air. It's generally safe and effective, but if you're plumbing is coming apart that might finish it off. If you want to "double tap" the problem drain you can hit it with some drain cleaner afterwards. Many people find that less intimidating than trying to use a snake.
I'm sorry for your experience.
i see a lot of guys talking Drano but I had stories in the past where the pipe melted. I think not every pipe is ok with drano.
The building trades are slow right now. Always call 3 people to get a rough estimate before and whoever you pick next time get them to give you a quote beforehand. Mind you it was a small job but could have been much bigger
